Saudi Arabia reshuffles leadership

Saudi King Salman announced an overhaul of top governmental posts on Thursday. The new positions span the kingdom’s two supreme councils that oversee economy and security matters, both headed by the king’s son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The crown prince maintains his roles as both prime minister and defense minister.

The king has been looking to make changes since Saudi agents killed Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist critical of the crown prince, in the country’s consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. A few high-ranking officials were fired in the aftermath, but the country has faced more international pressure as it tries to ward off accusations that the crown prince knew of the plot.

One of the crown prince’s close associates, Turki al-Sheikh, was named head of the General Entertainment Authority and was replaced as head of the sports authority. The appointment removes Shaikh from overseeing a cybersecurity group previously led by another crown prince aide fired for involvement in Khashoggi’s murder. Ibrahim al-Assaf, formerly a finance minister who worked closely with the crown prince, replaced Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir. The changes also included a new minister of media, minister of education, and head of the National Guard.